With training camp set to open in less than two weeks, the Dallas Cowboys will surely be looking to lock up star guard Zack Martin, but what will it take?
The Dallas Cowboys will open their 2017 training camp with a problem, although it is a problem any team would be more than happy to have. Their current starting right guard, Zack Martin, is due for a contract extension. Clearly, re-signing one of the best guards in professional football will be a priority.
It won’t be a cheap priority, but keeping the league’s best offensive line together makes the cost seem negligible. Martin has been named to three All-Pro teams, despite being in the league for as many years. He’s on track to become the highest-paid offensive guard in the NFL.
Similarly to how they handled center Travis Frederick’s contract last summer, the Cowboys front office will likely look to secure Martin for the foreseeable future by the end of camp. Market-value will surely play a factor in the negotiations, so let’s examine what that may mean for Martin.
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Three offensive guards received large deals in free agency this year, and those contracts will likely serve as the baseline for Martin’s. The Cleveland Browns signed Kevin Zeitler to a five-year, $60 million deal. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos secured Ronald Leary’s services at a price of $36 million for four years.
The New Orleans Saints gave guard Larry Warford a similar deal, four years and $34 million. It is very likely that Martin’s contract will be larger than any of these free agency deals.
Jerry and Stephen Jones and the rest of the Cowboys front office will likely go for a five-year extension, which won’t make Martin a free agent until 2023. That would align his contract’s term with Frederick’s and Tyron Smith’s. As for the cost, well, Martin will command at least the $12 million per year of Zeitler.
In fact, he likely will command more.
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Prediction: Five years, $67.5 million with roughly 35 percent fully guaranteed. That averages out to about $13.5 million per year. Martin will become the highest-paid guard in the league, and the Cowboys shore up their offensive line for the next half-decade.